A SILSDEN arts supporter has written his latest book showcasing the lives and work of artists from the area.

Past Portrait Artists of the Bradford District has been researched and penned by Colin Neville, who curates the Not Just Hockney website.

The book features 13 portrait and figurative painters from across the Bradford district.

Amongst them are Peter Kenneth Cowley Jackson, Marie-Louise Pierrepont, Doris Schrecker and John Hunter Thompson, all of whom had home or work links to the Keighley area.

A biographical profile of each artist is accompanied by examples, in colour, of their work.

The book contains over 100 images of paintings, many of which are now in private collections.

Information for the profiles was collated by Mr Neville, supported by other local history researchers from the Bradford district and beyond.

"Creating a portrait of another person – particularly a living one – is amongst the most difficult art forms around," says Mr Neville.

"It isn't just the sitter's verdict of the finished artwork that is involved, but also the judgement of others who know or knew the person.

"The artist will want to capture the physical image of the sitter, but also retain their own artistic style, integrity and perception of the subject. To get this right is no mean feat.

"There is then an element of wonder about the whole process, as the person posing for the artist can never really know what to expect until the covers are removed from the canvas. This can sometimes be a problem. The artist Graham Sutherland, for example, came a cropper with his portrait of Winston Churchill, who hated it so much that it was never displayed in public – and was destroyed after his death by Lady Churchill."

Past Portrait Artists of the Bradford District is the eighth book in the Not Just Hockney series, featuring the lives and work of past visual artists from the area.

All profits from sales go towards supporting community-run Silsden Town Hall.

Past Portrait Artists of the Bradford District costs £8 and can be ordered, postage free, from notjusthockney.info.

The non-commercial Not Just Hockney website provides an illustrated guide to professional artists past and present who were born, or have made their home, in what's now the Bradford metropolitan district.

"The aim is to collate information about artists for the benefit of art supporters in the district and elsewhere," Mr Neville adds.